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MVC Defers Chappy Decision

After listening to more than two hours of bitterly divided testimony
from an overflow crowd, the Martha's Vineyard Commission postponed
a decision last night on a proposal to designate the entire island of
Chappaquiddick as a district of critical planning concern (DCPC).

"I will tell you that Chappy is a finite place, and because of
its size what happens on this island affects everything else - the
beaches, the roads, the ferry," declared Don Crocker, president of
the Chappaquiddick Island Association.

"Chappy is a unique place and one of the jewels of the Island.
It needs a unique solution to preserve it," said Chappaquiddick
resident Edith W. Potter.

"There are some issues on Chappy, but I'm not sure a
DCPC is going to address them. An awful lot of what we are experiencing
isn't going to change by waving a magic wand," said
Chappaquiddick resident Bob Fynbo.

"I am against this DCPC and I think there are viable
alternatives," said Edgartown resident Roy Meekins.

The comments came during a public hearing on the DCPC designation,
held at the Chappaquiddick Community Center. More than 100 people jammed
the community center for the hearing.

Although the majority of the people attending the hearing appeared
to favor the DCPC, the opponents were extremely vocal, and their remarks
were delivered in angry tones at times.

Chappaquiddick resident Ronald Monterosso, who has led a campaign
against the DCPC in recent weeks, openly derided the Chappaquiddick
Island Association, calling it "simply the equivalent of a garden
club." The association has been at the forefront of the DCPC
proposal.

The commission voted to nominate Chappaquiddick as a DCPC last
month, triggering an automatic building moratorium. If the DCPC
designation is approved by the commission, the moratorium will remain in
place for one year, while new regulations are developed.

The nomination was sponsored by the Edgartown conservation
commission, and it has the support of the Edgartown selectmen and a
large group of Chappaquiddick residents. Yesterday the Massachusetts
Historical Commission submitted a letter to the commission strongly
supporting the DCPC.

Chappaquiddick is a residential island located off the extreme
eastern end of Edgartown.The small island has only one paved road, no
town water, no town sewer and no streetlights.

"It is exactly for places like Chappaquiddick that the
Martha's Vineyard Commission and DCPCs were created," Mr.
Crocker said last night.

DCPCs are overlay planning districts with special regulations.

In opening remarks, Mr. Crocker cited the extensive work that has
gone on in the last two years on a master plan for Chappy. A detailed
set of goals and objectives include a water quality protection program,
open space protection and protection for archaeological and cultural
resources.

Mr. Crocker credited some of the historic conservation efforts on
Chappaquiddick in the last century.

"If Charles Bird and Oliver Filley and The Trustees of
Reservations and other conservation-minded people hadn't come
along when they did, there would be nothing to talk about
tonight," he said.

Mrs. Potter, who has lived on Chappaquiddick year-round for 31 years
and was a summer resident for 40 years before that, offered her own
perspective. "I have seen several booms and slowdowns, and until
recently Chappy seemed able to absorb these changes. Now things are
different," she said.

Edgartown selectman Fred B. Morgan Jr. agreed. "We feel very
strongly that the majority of people on Chappaquiddick support this
DCPC, and we also support it," he said, adding: "Things have
been moving too rapidly. I wish we could have done something like this
in the town of Edgartown."

A number of Chappy residents stood to support the DCPC.

"Things have closed in on us quite a bit. I'd like to
use this time to get a handle on things," said Geoff Kontje.

"Somewhere there has to be a balance between building houses
and preservation - do we need to see Chappy turned into a
mini-version of Cape Cod, where real estate development and greed go
hand in hand?" said Terry Forde.

Then the opponents had their turn.

Homeowner Steve Wardwell spoke at length against the DCPC,
questioning the basis and criticizing the work of the Chappaquiddick
Island Association.

"There is some risk in a DCPC if this is perceived as an abuse
of the process because it's not supported by empirical
material," he said. Mr. Wardwell's remarks were peppered
with statements about his own business background. "Has anyone run
the numbers? Pardon me, because I happen to have some Price Waterhouse
experience," he said.

Mr. Monterosso said the DCPC is not supported by the facts.
"The commission doesn't have any evidence in front of it.
There is no town board that has come to tell you that the regulations
are insufficient, outside of the selectmen's hand-stamped approval
of this," he said.

Chappaquiddick Resident Robert Enos presented a petition against the
DCPC with 200 signatures on it.

Chris Kennedy, regional director for The Trustees of Reservations,
said The Trustees had adopted a neutral position.

In the end the commission decided to continue the hearing to one more
session. The commission must vote on the designation by June 7. A date
for the final hearing will be set this week.